7

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drumbeat
News from Jim Davis
Zambia Christian Mission
P.O. Box 335
Mongu, Zambia
Forwarding Agent:
Don and Wanda Moore
c/o Z.C.M.
4050 Shelby St.
Indianapolis, IN 46227
"How shail they hear ..." Romans 10:14
Volume 2 February 1983 Number 1
Imweko Church of Christ
The Imweko Church of Christ had its first
service on the 2nd of January, 1983. There
were 17 people present. The idea of a church
there was started back in August when I was
talking to the plumber about the Lord. He was
working on my house at the time. I asked him
if there was a need for a church in Imweko and
he said there was. There are over 2000 people
in that township and at that time only one
church. I asked him why he thought there was
a need for a church there. He replied, "To
know about God - to learn who He is. There
must be something more than just this life."
My interest grew in starting a church there. I
went there and talked to the people, receiving
promises to come. Many of the promises were
idle, but many were serious. A lot of the men
who worked on my house now attend. There
was definitely an interest and a desire for a
church at Imweko. On that first Sunday I
spoke about the Bible as being the Word ofGod
and then the next Sunday I spoke about God
Himself. Many qustions ensued, ranging
from, "Where did Satan come from?" to "Why
do we close our eyes while we pray?" and "If
God is one who loves us, why did He create
Hell and send people there?" The people were
searching because they really wanted to
know. I answered their questions from the
Bible the best that I knew, and prayed
every day for them. One day one of the young
men, who also works for me, came asking
about baptism. I talked with him about it
learning that he thought you had to know the
Bible before you could be baptized. It occurred
to me that this might be a fear of many of the
people. I was right. So I explained Peter's
sermon in the 2nd chapter of Acts and the fact
that on that day more than 3000 were
baptized. I then explained about the newbirth
and henceforth the new life. I explained that
Christ wanted us as we were and that He
would change us. We couldn't change our
lives without Him. That next weekend 16
people were baptized into Jesus Christ. More
have come also expressing a desire to become
one with Christ. By the time you are reading
this you will have even more newbrothers and
sisters in Christ.
There is still evidence of Satan's working in
the lives of people. There always will be. One
girl, Nazarana Kapenda, and her sister,
Inoxana, wanted to be baptized, but were
forbidden by their mother who is a Muslim.
I haven't met their mother yet, but hope to in
the near future. Please pray for her.
The Lord has blessed us with the use of a
school room, but soon we will have to seek and
build a church building. The number has
increased from 17 that first Sunday to 46 on
the last Sunday of January. The people have
really been asking and telling their friends
and relatives to come. Pray for me as I seek a
church plot and clearance from authorities to
start building. It has been through your
prayers that the work is bearing fruit and all
the glory goes to Him who has sustained it. I
cannot thank you enough, and continue to ask
you to keep this new work at Imweko in your
prayers.
Language Study
Many of you will remember my talking
about Graziella Zalla in the last issue of
Drumbeat. I had met her in Lusaka and it
seemed as though she would be my language
teacher. But I didn't hear from her and
couldn't find her and I wondered what I would
do. Then I heard of a Zambian lady who is a
Christian, Lozi by tribe, who teaches English
and Lozi at one of the schools here. I went to
see her (this was in late December) and she
agreed to teach me Lozi. She said she felt this
is how the Lord can use her and she says it
makes her happy to be able to do it. She is
doing an excellent job, although it seems as
though I will never learn it. It does seemhard,
and I will admit that my faith is weak at
times, but the Lord specializes in difficult
cases. I can construct simple sentences in the
present, future and negative tenses, and am
working on the past tense, which, according to
her is the hardest of them all. I would really
appreciate your prayers in this, and I thank
you for the praying which you have already
been doing. Believe me, it has been my
strength.
Another Prison Ministry
Update
Things are going well with the Prison
Ministry. I am preaching once a month there
while sharing the preaching responsibilities
with other area preachers. It is really
something to hear the prisoners sing, but they
told me they have plenty of time to practice.
The Prison Ministry is made up of people
who are concerned with the welfare of the
prisoners. They come from various
denominations, and from various
occupations, but all desire to see the Word of
God implanted in the hearts and minds of the
prisoners. There are classes taught every
weekend - one in Lozi and one in English. We
also meet physical needs as well. When the
prisoner is released, we help as we can with
food and clothing, and we also help the
prisoners while they are in prison. The
conditions are very poor, and while we realize
that they are in prison for a reason, we also
realize that they are human beings, and that
Christ died for theni as well.
The prisoners seem responsive to the Word
of God. We have had letters of thanks from
prisoners who have been released and have
continued in the Word of God and remain
active in His church. Some have even helped
bring others to Christ both in and out of
prison. I praise God for this ministry and also
solicit your prayers in this area.
A Word from the Coach
Many of you know that while in high school
and college I was an avid soccer fan and
player. Here in Mongu, the people love soccer
and I have had the opportunity to continue
playing and have also been given the job of
player-coach of the Lendor Warriors. It is a
good outlet for recreation and physical
exercise. It has also proven to be a fruitful
area for ministry. Last Sunday, 3 players
turned up for church services, along with
another player who attends regularly. He was
baptized along with the others who gave their
lives to Christ. I do love soccer and get almost
as excited here for a game as I did when I was
playing at Johnson Bible College. The
regular season starts in March, so right now
we are involved in getting ready for the
games. We have played two "friendlies" or
pre-season games having won one and tied
the other. I thank God for this opportunity
and pray that through it many will come to
know Jesus Christ.
Request for Food
No, this isn't a request for physical food,
although that is nice, but a request for
spiritual food. I, as well as anyone else, need
to be fed. I would really appreciate any used
books and sermon and music tapes that have
been a help to you and may be a help to me. I
use my spare time in the evenings to read and
listen to sermon and music tapes. Here in
Mongu they are not available. I don't want
you to spend a lot of money on anything like
that, just ifyou have some around the house or
church that aren't being used. So preachers,
teachers, Christians, I am asking you to feed
me, so I may in turn be fit to feed those around
me. And I love to read.
A Special Thanks
I would like to thank those of you who sent
packages this Christmas season. I really
enjoyed them, and it brings a little bit ofhome
to Mongu. You people and classes who sent
them probably don't knowhow much it means
to know that you care in this way. I thankyou
from the bottomofmy heart (and my stomach,
too).
Enter into hisgates
with thanksgiving,
and into his courts
with praise:
Be thankful unto
him, and bless
his name.
Psalm 100:4
Prayers of Thanksgiving
and Petition
There are always things in which we can
give thanks, and there are things that you
have prayed for that have been answered by
our Lord. David Griffin, whom I mentioned in
the last issue of Drumbeat, is undergoing a
miraculous recovery. He has returned to
Zambia, and is back teaching his classes,
driving, playing some tennis, and in general
getting back in the swing of things. His facial
scars are healing very well, and his mental
and spiritual progress is great. I thank you for
your prayers and praise God for the way He
has dealt in this situation.
I also mentioned Violet Zinonga as a
woman having cancer and also pregnant. On
January 12th Violet went on to be with our
Lord. The baby was taken prematurely by
a C-section, and is in poor condition. He
weighs less than 4 pounds and needs your
prayers. Also left are 5 children and Isaac,
her husband.
Other prayer requests and prayers of
thanksgiving are these:
Prayer Requests:
1. The church at Imweko.
2. A church plot to be found.
3. Language study.
4. The new English-speaking work in Lusaka
started by Dad and Mom (Dean and Judy
Davis).
Prayers of Praise:
1. The church at Imweko, and the ones who
gave their lives to Christ.
2. The use of a school room in which we now
meet.
3. God's provision of a Lozi teacher.
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drumbeat
News from Jim Davis
Zambia Christian Mission
P.O. Box 335
Mongu, Zambia
Forwarding Agent:
Don and Wanda Moore
c/o Z.C.M.
4050 Shelby St.
Indianapolis, IN 46227
"How shall they hear..." Romans 10:14
Volume 2
May 1983
Work is going well with Imweko Church of
Christ. People are responding to the message
of Jesus Christ and that thrills my heart.
There have been disappointments along the
way, and frustrations, but I firmly believe
that it is those disappointments and
frustrations that help us to grow stronger in
our Christian service. The victories won far
outweigh the struggles that come. Almost
every Sunday there are those who come to give
their lives to Jesus Christ. You may remember
Imweko Church of Christ.
Number 2
Baptizing into Christ,
my telling you of two young girls who were not
allowed by their mother to be baptized
(Nazarana and Inoxana Kapenda). Last
Sunday Nazarana told me that her mother
had relented and gave permission for them to
be baptized. My heart rejoiced at the news,
and I hope that you are rejoicing as well.
Soon I will be teaching classes for these new
converts. Any young child needs food, so I
must not hesitate to feed them. They must be
taught so that they will be able to teach others
about Christ and lead others to know Christ
as a person. The people do desire to know
Christ and His teachings and I pray that I will
be an able teacher. Already some of the men

3!^
ZAMBIA CHRISTIAN MISSION.
have shown an interest in preaching and Some of us
many are not ashamed to bring their friends fishing on t'
to church. It is exciting to see the work grow. which is oi
Not all circumstances are victories. There Africa. Th
are many who do not want Christianity. the fact thj
Some will come for a Sunday and are not seen most and tl
again. These are disappointing, but I pray The reasc
that a seed planted in their hearts will grow. you know
Pray for the Imweko Church of Christ and Christian
pray for me as I lead, guide and teach. missionarie
Some of us went up a few days early to go
fishing on the magnificent Lake Tanganyika,
which is one of the most beautiful lakes in
Africa. That was also a lot of fun, except for
the fact that David, my brother, caught the
most and the biggest fish!
The reason I am writing about this is to let
you know a little more about Zambia
Christian Mission, and show you the
missionaries that represent the Christian
Church/Church of Christ in Zambia. The
picture above shows the Zambia Christian
Mission family.
Three times a year the missionaries get
together for a time of meeting, worship,
prayer, and fellowship. These mission
meetings are designed to keep everyone up to
date on the progress in the work, to discuss
various programs of teaching, and also look
into different areas and methods of
presenting the gospel. It is also a time for all
the missionaries to get together and
fellowship with one another. There are
usually preaching services in the evenings
where we are fed from the Word of God by our
fellow missionaries.
This past mission meeting was held in the
Northern Province town of Mbala, which is
about as far away from Mongu as you can get.
We all stayed at the Outward Bound school,
which was a lot of fun for all the kids.
John Douglas, Jim, and Charlie Delaney taking a
break.
PRAYER ITEMS
Prayer is one of the most important aspects
of the Christian life, and sadly, one of the most
neglected. Often I catch myself saying that I
am too busy to pray right now, I'll do it later.
But we can never be too busy for prayer. If we
find ourselves too busy to pray, this means we
are actually too busy for God. That is a
dangerous situation for any Christian to be
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. Discipleship of new Christians
2. Church plot to be found
3. Leaders of the Zambian Government
4. More workers for the Lord here and
worldwide
WORD
OF
in. Paul exhorts us time and time again to be
in prayer about everything (Ephesians 6:18).
I ask you to continually be in prayer for the
work here in Mongu and Zambia, and also for
missions worldwide. Please pray for growth
in the lives of men and women, so that they
may carry on the preaching and teaching of
the gospel.
PRAYER PRAISES
1. Continued growth at Imweko
2. God's provision for His people
3. Cyndee's graduation from nurses training
this month
It is often said that the word love is the most
expensive word in the English language and
also the cheapest. It is a word that is easy to
say, but difficult to define. The ancient Greek
has three or four different uses of the word
love, each one with its own special
meaning. But what do we mean when we say,
"I love you"? Of all the epistles written, my
favorite is the 1st Epistle ofJohn. Perhaps the
reason for this is because the letter was
written with such obvious love for the
recipients. John constantly refers to his little
children or dear children. John's love was
shown through his pen. Is our love for each
other as evident as John's? I sincerely hope
so. Do not be ashamed to show your love to
those around you, for, as John says, 'He that
loveth his brother abideth in the light' (I John
2:10).
I hope that my love for you is made evident
through the things I write. I do appreciate so
much the love and concern you have shown
for me through your prayers and letters.
IMease know that my love for you grows
stronger every day. I love you.
SPORTS PAGE
Lender Warriors Soccer Team.
The Lendor Warriors soccer team is in the
midst of a successful season. As of this
writing, the team is unbeaten in the league,
has placed third in the Labor Day Cup, and is
in the finals of the Kuomboka Cup. I really
enjoy playing soccer with these young men
A weary player after a hard game.
and am glad for the time we are able to spend
together. I thank God for the chance to enjoy
physical recreation, and I pray that in all that
I do I am an example and witness for Jesus
Christ.
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drumbeait
News from Jim Davis
Zambia Christian Mission
P.O. Box 335
Mongu. Zambia
Forwarding Agent:
Don and Wanda Moore
c/o Z.C.M.
4050 Shelby St.
Indianapolis, IN 46227
"How shall they hear ..." Romans 10:14
Volume 2 September 1983 Number 3
TRIALS AND TESTING
Once again I bring greetings from Zambia.
The weather is warm, the sky is cloudless, a
perfect day. Then why does it seem as though
things aren't going as they should. I guess
that is normal in the life of a missionary.
Not all, and I didn't expect it to be, is peaches
and cream on the mission field. The past few
Sundays the attendance at Imwiko has been
below average. The services have been going
well, and the people seemed to be responding,
but then the hardship came. Two families
moved away, and some have been away on
holiday. I am so reminded of the words of
James - "Consider it all joy, my brethren,
when you encounter various trials - knowing
that the testing of your faith produces
endurance." (James 1:2,3) How true and
timely are those words. Discouragement
comes, but what a joy to know that Christ is
still in control. So many times I (we) try to do
the work of the Holy Spirit. More and more do
I understand Paul's words, "Do not quench
the Spirit." (I Thessalonians 5:19) Watching
and letting the Holy Spirit work is a thrill and a
joy. Yes, the testing comes and self doubt
along with it. You knowwhat I mean-"Is it my
preaching?" or "Why don't they understand
me?" But that testing produces endurance
and the result is this, "that you may be perfect
and complete, lacking in nothing." (James
1:4) What a tremendous promise!
In light of this, I see growth and progress.
I started a men's class on Saturday
afternoons and it has gone very well. The men
are enthusiastic and eager to learn, although
they aren't very fond oftests! I can see growth
in the lives of people - there are several who
haven't missed a Sunday since we started in
January. Some of the men are now preaching
and really enjoying that. When I look at that,
my discouragement fades, and I am^
encouraged by the progress and the work of
the Spirit. It is a joy to be in service for the
King, knowing the promises that come from
trials and testings. And it is a real joy to know
that you are petitioning the Father on the
behalf of the Christians here and myself also.
AMBASSADOR'S VISIT
Earlier this winter (summer for you people) I
was honored to have Nicholas Platt, his wife
and son visit me here in Mongu. The reason I
was honored is that Mr. Platt is the American
Ambassador to Zambia. This was quite an
occasion, as it is rare to have official
dignitaries in my home.
THE DOGS ARE FINE
Bo and Rusty
Many of you in your letters have enquired
about my dog, Bo. Well, Bo is fine and now
has a playmate, Rusty. Both of the dogs are
funloving and playful and it really is nice to
have them around. The Zambian children
have never seen a boxer before and think Bo is
the strangest animal they have ever seen.
They laugh and point, but finally come in to
find that she is really playful and they all like
her. Both of the dogs of course are jealous of
any attention the other gets, so my time must
be equally divided among them.
FURLOUGH DATES
It is hard to believe that I have been here almost two years, but it is true. It is even harder to
believe that I will be coming home for furlough next year. But that is also true and I can't wait to
see all of you. I plan to arrive in the States around August 1,1984, and will be home 6-9 months.
I am looking forward to furlough and hopefully I will be able to see all ofyou while I am home. I
will be living in Indianapolis, but will be doing some traveling and speaking to my supporting
churches. That brings up another point. If there is a specific time you want me at your
church, be sure and let me know well in advance so I can start planning my schedule.
Please pray for me as I start making initial arrangements for my furlough time.
VISIT FROM CHRIS AND DONNA
Many of you know Donna and Chris
Alexander - both were fellow students with me
at Johnson Bible College. They have come to
Zambia as relief missionaries - that is, they
are taking Ron and Marti Baumann's place
this year while the Baumanns are on furlough,
and next year they will be taking Mom and
Dad's place while they are on furlough. They
also plan to start their own work and become
full time missionaries here in Zambia. It was
a real pleasure to have them come out and
visit me here in Mongu. We had a great time
together, fellowshipping and sharing
together. As I have said before, I always enjoy
visitors and Donna and Chris were no
exception.
Chris. Donna. Jim
MTSSTONARY WANTED=_=^_
As I mentioned above, Donna and Chris have come to Zambia as relief missionaries.
Unfortunately, they can only take the place of one mission family. I also mentioned that I
would be going on furlough next year. 1and the people need someone to continue teaching them
and leading them. This is an excellent opportunity to see the mission field and actually get
involved in the work. If you think you may be interested, write me a letter as soon as possible.
Pray about it, think about it - God can use you here. Keep this matter in your prayers, that God
will send someone.
LANGUAGE STUDY ENDS
My formal language study has ended and
now I am on my own. To be honest, and I must
be, this has been the most discouraging part of
my being here in Mongu. It seems as though
the language eludes me and I get disgruntled
and cease to put the effort and hard work I
knowl should into it. Ihaveworkedatit,butI BR
am still not very far along in Lozi. My teacher,
Jane, pictured here with Dan Ball and me, has
been very good. She has been patient, stern,
helpful - and I am indeed thankful. I can
speak some and make myself understood after
a while, but that is a struggle. I think it is my
thorn in the flesh! Don Ball is a Canadian ^
. . V 1 o- j Dan. Jane, Jtm
missionary with another mission who studied
with me and understands the dilemma oflearning the language. He has been an encouragement and
a good friend here.
PRAYER ITEMS
How much attention do we pay to God
when we pray? Do we just mouth our prayers?
Do we often (I know I do) think of something
else as we pray? Daniel says that "I give my
attention (underlining mine) to the Lord God
to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with
fasting..(Daniel 9:3). Daniel concentrated
on what he was doing when he talked to God.
Likewise, we should also concentrate when we
pray. We often wonder whether or not God
heard us, and also wonder why our prayers
aren't answered. The reason could be that we
don't concentrate on God and His majesty
when we talk to HIM. So when we pray,
instead of just quickly saying our prayers,
let us give our full attention to God. I would
also appreciate it if you would pray with me
concerning the following things.
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. Imwiko Church of Christ
2. Proceedings of church plot
3. Saturday classes
4. Prison ministry
5. Donna and Chris Alexander in their new
work
6. Someone to work here while I am on
furlough
7. Cyndee (Davis) and Rick Massengill as
they start their new life together
PRAYER PRAISES
1. The continued growth
2. The testing of our faith which brings
endurance
3. A church plot may have been found
4. The privilege to serve our Father
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drumbeat
News from Jim Davis
Zambia Christian Mission
P.O. Box 910 335
Mongu, Zambia
Forwarding Agent:
Don and Wanda Moore
c/o Z.C.M.
4050 Shelby St.
Indianapolis, IN 46227
"How shall they hear ..." Romans 10:14
THE STAR
Inky hlacknu'ss. ,^i)r!nkl('(/ hy tlufusands of
shining. ;:^d!/nn>erin,n .'>t(trs.
Tlu'ir iycdiity so iipput'i'nt. ccrn to tko most hard oj
hca rts.
E/idless causi' of irondcr, source of countless
mysteries.
So far'ateay. yet seeminply leilhin our prasp.
Beacons of liopc. thou.phts. sharers of our dreanis.
"Wish upon a star" the old adape poes. and
supposedly our icislu-s come true.
But do they f Beautiful and leonderful. yes. hut not
the supf)!ier and .itiri'r oj drea/ns and wishes
come true.
Some say the future is in the stars, hut in reality
the future is in the (lod who made them.
They are hut examples of His marueious and
sensitiri' creativity.
r\nd a constant reminder of the Star which shone
for the mapi so many years past.
The star whieh led them to the luimh.
the I.amh who was slauphtered.
.And on that day.
B'o stars shone.
Today they shine, .simjile reminders that
He still Tires.
Volume 2 December 1983 Number 4

ff
And The 7oung
A
Bush Traveler
Sunday School
.m-r
RAFT TRIP II
The Rambling Rafting River Rats did it
again! Several single and married (would you
believe my mom and dad went?) missionaries
from Zambia and Zimbabwe got together
again this year to brave the mighty Zambezi
River. I was wondering as we started off as to
whether or not this year would be as exciting
as last year. It was. This year I had the
dubious pleasure of being thrown out of a raft.
I thought we were through this one rapid and
let go of my hand hold, when all of a sudden
I was airborne! It was a lot of fun, though.
In the picture you can see the size of the
rapids (the raft is right in the middle). The
people who will be here next year are
definitely planning a trip for next year. I
think it is going to become a yearly tradition.
Along with the fun we had rafting, we also
had a wonderful time sharing the Lord
together. The bond that drew us together was
made even tighter, and that was the bond of
love that only Christ can give. What was
really special was meeting and making new
friends. Several came not knowing some of
the others but we all left with brand new
friends. It was great. You all ought to try it
sometime. You would.really enjoy it.
FACES IN IMWIKO
On the preceding page youcansee justa few
of the people that worship at Imwiko Church
of Christ. The last newsletter told of the
attendance being down. Well, since then it
seems we have been given a shot in the arm.
Attendance has risen and the schoolroom is
nearly all filled on Sunday. Thank you so
much for your prayers concerning this. Please
pray for these people daily, and also keep it a
matter of urgent prayer that someone will feel
led to fill in for me while I am on furlough. If
there is no one here while I am gone, it will be
very, very difficult for the church here as they
are still young and need guidance.
PRAYER ITEMS
Christmas time is here, and with all the
hustle and bustle of Christmas activities our
prayer time with the Lord may suffer. Please
don't let that happen. Prayer is our key to
continued Christian growth, and the most
important aspect of our Christian life. With
prayer, the fruit of the Spirit will be made so
evident in our lives. "But the fruit ofthe Spirit
is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-
control; against such there is no law . . .
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with
your spirit, brethren. Amen." (Galatians 5:22,
23; 6:18; NASB)
SPORTS FLASH
The Lendor Warriors Football Team has
done very well since the last sports update.
We won the Independence Cup which was
played in November, and also we are the
league leaders with two games to play. It has
been a great season, and I have thoroughly
enjoyed it.
Another item which might interest you is
this - another team member and I were chosen
to represent Lendor Warriors on the Mongu
District Selected Side. We played against a
team from Lusaka on Independence day and
it was a good game. I was lucky enough to
score the opening goal and I have never heard
such a roar. Later I found out that there were
more that 5000 people at the game, including
Western Province dignitaries and officials. In
the end we lost 3-2, but it was a game I will
never forget.
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. Imwiko Church of Christ
2. Saturday classes
3. Prison Ministry
4. Replacement while I am on furlough
5. Rex and Pauline Kemple, our new
missionaries in Ndola. They are taking
Ross and Chris Logans' place while they
are on furlough.
PRAYERS PRAISES
1. Increased interest and attendance in
church at Imwiko
2. Proceedings on church plot - permission
has been given to erect temporary building.
3. The rains which have started.
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